I beleive I was the photographer in question here. As some have already said, you are making some HUGE assumptions on exactly what was going on.
Funny thing is that I though that this person who was driving the car was actually SWERVING trying to hit the owl. Such is the difference of perspective. If you were so concerned for what was going on why did you not stop and ask me what was I doing? Here is the real part of the story. As I was leaving the Sax-Zim area I ran into another photographer who was baiting owls and using a fishing rod to attract the owls. I stopped by and had a not so pleasant conversation with him about how what he was doing was not only unethical and bad for the owls but also a federal offense. We argued for a while and told him that his actions where just giving us all photograpers a bad name... I left telling him he better leave because I was going to report him to the Fish and Wildlife authories. As I was leaving I saw him going toward his blue minivan with MI plates. As I continued on my way and while travelling toward Cotton I saw this GGO on the side of the road that looked injured. I went up to see if in fact the owl was injured and after seeing that it was not and was eating a mouse, I then took out my camera to get some closeups. At this time a car came wizzing by (I suspect Mr. Auer) at high speed and scared the owl, interestingly an 18 wheeler had just passed by and did not scare the owl. When the Owl took off it seemed to me that this car veered towards the owl giving me the impression that the driver was in fact trying to hit the owl. HOWEVER not being the driver of said car, I made no assumtions about your intentions. Now knowing that you belong to this list I see that my IMPRESSION of what happened was incorrect and that you care about these incredible creatures and would not intend any harm. I however RESENT the ASSUMPTIONS that you made about ME without being concerned enough to stop by and ask what was going on and then raving about it on this list. Everyone that knows me, and knows my work, knows that my first concern is for th welfare of my subjects and that would never put my photos over the wellfare of any animal. -J -- Juan A. Pons [email protected] http://wildnaturephoto.com/ Pittsboro, NC In Reply to a message from Tom Auer <[email protected]> : ------------------------ Up in Sax-Zim today, I saw a photographer almost cost a Great Gray Owl it's life. I could be wrong, but I'm darn certain that I'm not. We were on Arkola Rd, heading out of the bog, when we saw a white car pulled precariously over on the road. Arkola, which doesn't have much shoulder, sees a good bit of traffic as well. When we came in line with the car, we saw that this photographer must have put a mouse on the shoulder for a GGOW, because the bird took off as we passed and was clutching a clump full of grass (I thought I saw a mouse tail). Luckily for the bird, because we were birders,we slowed way down and swerved out of the way, but if it had been a fast moving local, this bird would have been dead. Seconds later the plow zoomed by and would have gotten the bird if we hadn't driven by first? This is the first time that I've seen this atrocity, but how can these photographers do this on these roads? Haven't they been warned? They have no ethics and they have no respect for the birds and I have only spite for them. I'm tired of seeing them out on HWY7, with their monstrous lenses and total disrespect for other birders and the birds. There's been a lot of bad behavior by photographers this year. What a bunch of selfish bastards. Tom Auer Duluth, MN
